The Night before Graduation

Well, I gave in and bought bottled water. I didn’t want to be the American who wasn’t drinking and eating what they were, but my body couldn’t take it anymore. I finally put 2 and 2 together (since last time I was fine drinking the water, but then I remembered the color was VERY different and I was drinking boiled rain water, not ground, dirty and smelly water. I cannot tell you the difference my body feels. It amazes me how quickly I feel rejuvenated! So, 18.9L later, I am happy, healthy and thirst quenched!

Looking over these past few days, I’m not sure how to put into words or how to describe. I am so glad I’m here. I am honored to celebrate them tomorrow at their graduation and yet there is a part of me that feel “numb” or sad or lonely or something…not sure what it is. I know God has me here (I’m not sure what he wants me to be doing the 2 weeks after the girls leave, so you can join me in prayer on that) and I am trying to make everyday purposeful. Yesterday, Sarah and I took 11 of the girls into town to buy graduation celebration dresses/shoes. Sarah and I “Branched” off (left them) and did our own shopping where Sarah and I both got a new dress to wear tomorrow. Again, it amazes me how excited they get over 2^nd hand clothes, shoes etc. It makes me really sad if I think about it. (Esp. on America’s Black Friday). We spent all day in Kampala and then on the way home, I had them celebrate Thanksgiving by everyone saying what they were thankful for. It was SO precious. SO sweet. SO simple. And how they showered Sarah with praise for all she does for them and how she is their mom…teared me up. Once we got home, all of Sarah’s family was asleep, so she and I ate together and then we sat and had a great girl heart to heart. She really encouraged me and called me out on a few things which I am SO thankful for! I love this woman. I so want her faith, want to be like her, want to see through her eyes and the more time I spend with her, the more amazed I am! Her heart is so big. Her wisdom so deep.

Today, we had fellowship and then 6 of the S5 (younger girls) and I wrapped all the gifts Sarah and I had boughted. It was interesting. So funny to see Sarah realize she bought without really thinking through it. That’s what gets me here… they don’t really plan, think ahead, strategize… instead, they go on instinct. So as we looked at the 103 gifts and most of the grads are guys and most of the gifts are for girls, all I could do was smile because I had tried to get her to think ahead. But, we made it work. The girls and I wrapped all the gifts, which is funny if you know me because I am NOT a good wrapper and I looked Genius today! The time was so sweet. I had Hadija, Sofie and Rachel (3 of the closest girls to me here) wrap the presents and just talk and laugh. I needed that today. Again, I feel “numb” so it was good to simply connect. Afterwards, I went for my first walk/run. It was so good to just get out, breathe, work out and enjoy nature. The crazy Muzungo was back!

When I got back, I saw Doreen sitting on the front porch, crying. I went up to her and after some prodding, she finally told me she couldn’t afford shoes. I am almost out of money, but without thinking, I prayed, “God give us a deal”. I took her hand and called a Boda. We went to town and shopped for the perfect shoe. We found them. She was so happy and they actually were really good shoes, not torn, dirty, scratched, worn etc. I told her I wanted to be her mama today. Again, I can’t help myself. The need is so great and the amount is so small comparatively!

Everyone is now scurrying around getting ready for tomorrow. It is a girl haven right now: shoes, dresses, finger nail polish, purses, laughter, stances in front of the mirror. It’s sweet. All girls are the same. And here I am, tucked away in my little guest house… just needing some time to debrief myself and get ready. We leave early!

So, I guess my prayer is: please pray for direction for me for the next couple weeks. I want to use this time wisely while I’m here. And, that may be sitting on this back patio, looing out on the banana plantation and praying for my future once I get back to the states or that may be going to orphanages, visiting friends in Jinja and Rwanda and being the crazy jet setter I’ve come to be this past year. But one thing I know: I just want to know where God wants me to be!

Unexpected Gifts

The past couple days have been a bit rough... not feeling well in a 3rd world country is not easy. I have slept in till 11 or 12 everyday (or at least haven't had strength to get out of bed until then). It kills me because the girls start leaving this weekend and I want to maximize my time with them... but I have to listen to my body as well. Yesterday, I finally got up at noon and took some time to read. I had 3 girls sitting outside my window waiting for me all morning. Then, I walked through campus, saying hello to the girls. I found out 3 girls needed funds to be able to graduate and if they didn't have it by the end of the day, they wouldn't be able to attend University. It was about $25/person... how could I not help! So, help I did. One was Shamim, the sweet girl from last time. She comes from such a poor family and it hurts my heart to know that such a little amount could keep her from going to university. After meeting with the girls, Sarah asked if I would go to town with her to help pick out graduation gifts. So, Sarah, Joy, Joseph and I all headed to town. I wasn't feeling great, but knew Sarah needed help, so I went. We did a crazy amount of shopping (gifts for 100 students). The hard part is, it was African style. No organization, no fore thought on what to get, no planning... just wondering through congested Kampala. Yet, being with my sweet friends was fun enough. I kept praying for strength and God granted.
Today, yet again I woke up feeling sick and really discouraged. Why after having to wait two weeks longer and being here such a short amount of time with the girls would God allow me to be sick and in bed...or at least not have the energy these girls are use to me having. They had started making comments, "Auntie Deb, you don't dance around and play music this time". My heart sank.
After returning to bed for a couple more hours, I was greeted by a few girls who wanted to simply chat and hang out. That I could do: low key and sitting. We had a GREAT time. Joy, the pastors wife came by to say hello and pray for me as well as the the students. I teared up during there prayers and begged God to answer and be my healer. The 4 students and I sat and talked for hours. It lifted my heart. We talked about university, what being a woman of God means, what they are looking for in a man and what their standards should be. These girls are so strong on their convictions it's awesome.
At 5 pm, cheers echoed through the campus as the s6 girls finished their last exam and were done. We all ran out and celebrated. They wanted to take "Swag" pictures (posing with an attitude... these will be put on FB soon :) It was hilarious! They LOVE taking photos and so do I so it works well! Many "Swag" photos were taken today!
I was walking to my guest house to prepare for the celebration I was hosting tonight when Hadija called me over to the dining hall for some posho and beans. I agreed. The S5 girls have been done for a few days, but they are copying all the s6 girls notes so they can listen better next year. So, they were all excited to get some attention from me. At 7 I left and went to the guest house where I got to speak to just the s6 girls, encourage them about life after HS and then I had bought each of them a necklace to celebrate them and remind them they have an American friend who loves them and is praying for them. It is so fun to give. The rest of the time was spent singing, dancing, talking and laughing. I needed tonight, to remember why I am here... and I'm praying my health stays up now for the rest of the time.
The evening ended with a LATE dinner with Sarah and family as they had waited for me to eat... I had NO idea!
Thank you Jesus for lifting my spirit. Please pray that my heart and spirit will continue to be lifted and also that my health will be 100%

Back to Matugga

A few short hours of sleep was not enough, but the time was great, so it’s all worth it. Today, I went to coffee with the guys and then said goodbye as we took our own paths of the day. I decided to help out a lady who works at Cornerstone and let her do my laundry J Then, I headed over to a clinic close to Cornerstone (never thought I’d be going to the doctors this much while I’m here.. but hey, at least it’s cheap). This weekend I was talking to the guys and they mentioned how you are suppose to take a pill after going into The Nile due to a parasite that can live and ruin your body for about 20 years. You’re suppose to take the pill 6 weeks after contact… I was hoping 7 months was okay too. I took the test as while I waited for the results, went back to Cornerstone for their fellowship meeting on Mondays. On my way into the meeting, I called Dennis, my boda driver, to have him pick me up after the meeting was over and was SO excited to hear his voice and see him in just a couple hours. The meeting ended and I walked over to the clinic…sure enough… I’ve got a live parasite making it’s home and families inside me, so I’ll be taking a pretty rough dosage of a pill in the next week to clear my system out (I’m debating about waiting till after I visit Jinja bc.. you never know, I may get in the water again J ) I didn’t seem to really notice the systems (given 2 weeks after I left I was exhausted from my new job… but maybe there was more to the exhaustion). Would’ve been nice to know earlier, but at least I caught it. (Can you tell I’m not so nervous)

I was walking back from the clinic when I heart “eh, BOSS!!!”. I turned to see Dennis driving up to my pick up spot! I got SO excited to see him. He was truly one of my closest friends here last time and he is a JOY to drive with. We talk the entire time, he is so protective of me and I really care about him. So, we had a great meeting embrace and then headed out on the town. I had a list of “to do’s” and allowed him to set the pace and the route. We were non stop chatter for hours as we ran the errands, bargained for prices and ate a good ‘ol rolex (chipatee with egg, tomatoes and onions). We headed back to the office and I chatted with Rose and Joyce (2 ladies who help keep up the property and cook food). They wanted to see pictures of my family and simply get to know me… since I’m always in and out “Deb, you move a lot”… haha they have NO idea!

David and I headed to Matugga with pastor and another male teacher headed to the boys school. As we drove, my eyes got extremely heavy and I knew it was going to be a long night. On the drive, I did witness my first “Mob Justice” where a thief was caught and half the town runs after him (while the other line the streets and yell), catches him and beats him until… well, most often death. David explained the entire thing as we drove. Can you imagine?!

Entering the school was another grand welcome as the girls and I were so excited to see each other. It’s nice because I know this week, I get to be still, get back into a somewhat routine and hang out. The s5 girls are done with all their exams and they literally look different as a weight has been lifted and they are on HOLIDAY! (reminds me of my summer days…kinda miss those!) Sarah’s kids made me into a live jungle gym: jumping, tickeling, and talking non stop movement as they chatted endlessly “auntie Deb… do ______” from the moment I arrived. The girsl were all sorts of questions about how I feeling, my journey and how Fort Portal was.  I loved it, but had to keep praying for strength as my body was literally exhausted. We have this entire week for hang out time so I didn’t feel so bad to slip away to have more of a calmer one on one chat with Sarah as she made dinner and I played with her kids. They kept saying how much they missed me because I am “part of the family” now. Melts my heart. I played with the kids for about an hour and then we sat down for a DELCIOUS dinner! Then, the kids were off to sleep and Sarah, David and I did what we do best: sat around the table in low lighting and simply talk.

Tonight’s convos were incredibly interesting

1.       I found out David was a herdsman (starting at age 5) and lived in a hut his entire school life. I had SO many questions!!! I found out some incredible facts: dung huts have walls of mud and floors of dung b/c it’s “softer”, it usually takes a family a day to build a hut and they move about once a year. David actually loves that life and would love to go back, I literally said “REALLY?!” without thinking and both he and Sarah cracked up laughing… I’m so glad I can’t offend them by  my All American comments/reactions sometimes.

2.       There are SNAKEs at the property we are going to for graduation (the boys school)… Like pythons and cobras. Yea… TOTALLY freeked out about that!

3.       David was chased by a leopard when he was 6 and shepherding cows… literally ran away from a leopard by hiding between his cows as the they all fled the scene. He said the leopard locked eyes on him and charged. I saw a leopard in TZ and I would pee my pants if he charged me!

4.       I continue to be amazed at how much fun they have together, how in love they are and how they aren’t afraid to show it (so not African!)

I was supposed to go to bed early, and we ended up talking till 11:20.. oops. So, as I wait for my water to heat up, I figured I’d write out my thoughts of the day.

I love this place! Love these people! And am so excited for a great couple weeks with them! 

Fort Portal

Friday

Started with Fellowship with the girls at 7am: dancing, singing and teaching they do every M,W,F. Normally I’m stoked to go with them, but for the past few days I hadn’t been feeling well and I also had been averaging about  3 hours of sleep a night. Afterwards, I talked to Sarah about still not feeling well and so she decided I should go to the doctor. (I don’t normally go, but I knew I was fighting some kind of infection so I decided not to argue). I also had been invited by my Texan friends to go to Fort Portal for the weekend and after talking with Sarah, she encouraged me to go as the girls were going to be studying all weekend long for their final exams. Sarah got the school driver to take me to Kampala to the clinic she knew was trustworthy, I packed my weekend bag and headed out.

The African clinic experience was actually pretty great. They worked with me (as I was on a very short time limit to catch the 2pm bus) and had me in and out with antibiotics in an hour.  (Definitely a different experience being there, specifically where the surgeries occurred was behind a sheet in the waiting area where you would hear babies cry when getting shots or treatments etc. … not the most relaxing environment). The price was similar to a US doctor visit, so I was willing to pay whatever it took. While at the doctors, my friend Sarah from Rwanda (my sweet teacher friend) was in Kampala so we decided to meet up. She arrived a few minutes after I got out of the clinic and we headed to downtown to wait for Scott and Sam (and friends) to head on our journey. While Sarah and I were waiting, she was motioning with her left hand when I saw a RING on her finger. I literally freeked out and she started laughing. She had wanted to tell me in person and had waited till I got here to tell me. I am so excited for my sweet friend!!!

The guys arrived at 2pm to the crazy bus park area and we pushed our way until an extremely full bus and headed to Fort Portal. The drive was hilarious as the shocks were non existent, so every pot hole or bump in the road sent us sailing into the air. We were completely soaked with sweat  from the intense heat, and also because the seats were covered in non breathing plastic covers. The 4 hour drive turned into a 5 hour, but went fast as we talked and laughed the whole way there.

We arrived late and headed to our hostel (my boda driver ran out of gas, so I called Sam quickly to send me his driver as it was dark and in the middle of nowhere.  We arrived at our hostel to find a ping pong table and delicious home made curry dinner. The rest of the night was filled with playing ping pong and relaxing on the couches. The following morning began with a long run with Scott through the gorgeous tropical mountains and a delicious mango for breakfast. We packed up and headed into town where we found the coolest garden restaurant and waited while our 2 other friends arrived on the lunch bus. We all enjoyed lunch together (even as the rain poured…it’s rainy season here again in Uganda and this time it’s actually raining). Then, we hired a driver to take us to our B&B for the night, located on a lake about an hour outside of town. Our spot Saturday night was awesome as each of our rooms overlooked the lake, was covered in flowers and had monkeys jumping from tree to tree. We unpacked, road the bodas (we rented 2 for the day) and headed to dinner by the campfire. After dinner, we started a game of spades while we watched the Mississippi State vs. Arkansas game on the internet. The night was SO fun and I really bonded with another girl Courtney who came.

Sunday we woke up to our breakfast laid out for us on a table that over looked the lake. 2 large sticks were placed beside the table to war off the monkey s that were coming to steel our food…and boy did they try. ( I do have a pic of me actually feeding a wild monkey, which I’m super proud of). After breakfast and a photo shoot with monkeys, we headed out on a hike to the Top of the World. We didn’t exactly know where to go so using our African directions, we headed out. The hike ended up being a fabulous time, with me really being able to bond with Courtney. She is a gem from MS and brings out my southern ghetto and I LOVE it! The two of us talked (and set the pace) the entire time. Village kids would come out, sing to us, hold our hands, want a piggy back etc. as we tracked up the mountain. The top was gorgeous and on the way down, we got stuck in a tropical rainforest downpour (bc we were in a tropical rainforest). We showered, packed up our stuff and headed back into town. Had a quick lunch and boda’d to the bus park. This arrival was easy and seamless. We got 6 seats next to each other and headed out on the road. The ride went fast with great conversations, my own personal MC who introduced me to some fabulous singer songwriters and of course you can’t forget the stop that included a hand off of a LIVE chicken through the window and sat next to Brent for the remainder (2hrs) of the trip. Oh Africa.

I headed to the guys how for the night as Emily let me stay in her extra bunk. The night was a late one as we stayed up till around 3…talkin’ it up.

Weekend Getaway

This is going to be a quick overview and I'll write more later:

• Had an offer from my friends from Texas for a weekend getaway to Fort Portal, Uganda,,, google it!  (since the girls are all studying for exams.. I took the offer and the 5 hour bus ride with the guys to get here) 
• Had to go to the doctor on Friday for an infection... experienced African hospital/clinics... much more on that (got antibiotics and am feeling much better now)
• Am having a fabulous time this weekend. Fun to see more beautiful parts of Uganda and hang with friends
• Taking the bus back tomorrow (most likely) and will write more later. 
• Bedtime

True Giving

This morning started…well, evening went straight into morning as I slept maybe 45 minutes last night. I watched the sun rise over my backyard area, heard the birds and rooster call people to a new day, and for some reason, I was awake. My body is extremely tired, but my mind was wired. At about 6, Robina (one of the girls) walked into my house and started to make me tea. She was so sweet and was loving warned that she needed to study for her exams, even though “Debs in town”. Ha. Love it. She saw all the clothes I had laid out and so I let her choose the first item. Then, I told her to announce to the girls that I had clothes waiting for them. Minutes later, my house was flooded with excited girls, running in and out of the room trying on clothes. They were so sweet, so thankful. I wished I could have brought each of them a full outfit, but even just one article, they are so appreciative. (which after going through the market again today, reminded me of why they are so thankful for clothes…more on that later) The clothes were soon in a heaping pile, as the girls went through them like a little kid on Christmas. Soon, the clothes were gone. There were a few girls who didn’t receive something, so I took their names and plan to shop for them more specifically this week. Not sure how that happened, but they are sweet and are simply excited to have something new. During the process, Danny (Sarah’s son) arrived and I began to dress him in clothes given to him… Raja, he LOVES your jacket and PJ’s you gave him!!!! Once Sarah arrived, we went through each piece for her kids. She was completely overwhelmed. Then, I gave her the outfit I had brought for her (Shoes and all). She was literally speechless. She is SO excited about new shoes…she wore them all day and literally was bouncing around the compound and told me later that the day was great because she felt so “Smart” (beautiful) all day in her new shoes. My heart is so full. And then, the American in me feels, that’s not enough! I want to give her more, more options, more shoes, more outfits…and she feels like I’ve given her the world. Oh Jesus, may I be that simple in mind to be so overwhelming thankful for the simple small gifts you give me, daily!

Finally, around 11 I got out of my PJs and walked around campus, loving on the girls, asking them how their exams and studies were going. I saw Joseph, one of the teachers, who told me I looked “bigger and great!” haha oh how that compliment does NOT work on our American mindset, to them it’s the ultimate compliment… I couldn’t break it to him. I did tell the girls, who laughed and laughed with me about it… “bigger”… wow!  I went and visited Pastor and his wife and their new baby. (Joy was due the day after I left in April…and their new little girl: Gemima (yes, like our American syrup), is adorable!) I have had little energy today… really haven’t felt well. My stomach is terribly upset (I’m sure it’s getting use to Ugandan food again: beans, eggplant and sweet potatoes for lunch) and because I am so tired, I knew I needed some “space”. A run was not an option as I have no energy, so into my house I went. I took about 2 hours to be still… Then, I heard Danny laugh and I couldn’t help but get up and go outside to run around with him. As I took his hand, all the kids of the teachers came running. So we ran around campus, laughing, playing and dancing. I prayed the whole time, Jesus give me strength! As the kids and I were near the entrance to the gate, Sarah drove up in the school van and asked if I wanted to go to town. (It is her daughters Hannah bday and I asked her what she wanted…a watch! So, I told Sarah I would buy her one). I got in (after Sarah making sure I felt alright) and headed out. About 30 seconds into the ride, Sarah turned around in the front seat and started with “To your right you will be seeing a garden…” Oh my gosh, I LOST IT!!! She literally eats up everything I say and so when I told her about being a tour guide, she wanted to know how I said things, my “voice”, how I sat etc. and she did it PERFECTLY! Oh my gosh, best moment of the day!  I’m laughing here thinking about it.

Town was great. Matugga is SO small and on Thursday they have their “flea market”. So, as I mentioned before, going through all the clothes, shoes, apparel laid across the ground, dirtied, American’s LAST choice of clothes they have donated to Salvation Army that ends up in bins here.. yea, it makes me sad. I went shopping with Silvia, one of the girls who works at the school…and to see her looking through the shoes: worn and torn to find the best one… ouch. Hurt my heart. God, why? Why is that ok? We got what we wanted…sweet Sarah bought popcorn and I bought Soda and that was Hannahs party food..and headed home.

Perez arrived soon after we did and so I brought him to my house to give him my running shoes he asked for (2^nd best was almost painful for me at this point…). His sweet 14 yr old LITE and TEARED UP! He jumped into my arms with a chocked up voice of thanks… He spent the next couple of minutes in silence as he rubbed the shoes like they were his prized possession. I asked him if he was gonna run with me now in the MTN Marathon (yes…they’ve talked me into running a race while I’m here) and he started laughing…Maybe Auntie, maybe. Again, not feeling like I’ve brought enough or even the best they deserve: My old running shoes with barely any treed ..and it made his day. We walked to the house together to celebrate Hannah’s bday. My heart was so unsettled (as was m stomach). I don’t really know how to process today…

It’s had so many emotions in it. The hard realities of Africa blaring me in the face. And yet, the JOY these kids have!

I stayed at the party, but my heart the whole time was hurting, so I excused myself (after a sweet and encouraging convo with Sarah) and came to my guest house. Right after I shut the door to make tea, Sofie walked into the house. The tears flooded. She has been so into her studies and feels bad of how connected we became last time that she has told me she was trying to give space for other girls to connect with me this time. 19 years old! Unbelievable. We sat at my table and caught up and talked. Then, she pulled out a gift and handed it to me…and THAT’s when the tears really came. After such a day of giving and not feeling it was enough to then have someone with nothing give me the sweetest and most beautiful necklace… I lost it!  I can’t even put words to it right now. I’m still crying…

What is TRUE, sacrificial giving?....

I have no more words tonight